Recommended packages for Linux

OpenIMS can be installed on any Linux server on which the following software has been installed:

• Recent version of Apache
• Recent version of MySQL/MariaDB (for performance we recommend running MySQL/MariaDB on the same server as Apache).
• Use a supported version of PHP after checking with OpenSesame ICT if your OpenIMS Core version and OpenIMS configuration are compatible with that PHP version.
• The php-mysql module is required.  Required for specific optional functionality: php-imap php-ldap php-gd.
• zip, unzip, gzip, gunzip (these are command line tools that are only used internally by OpenIMS).
• antiword (this is a command line tools that is only used internally by OpenIMS).
• MTA software (see below).
• For the optional sphinx search engine, sphinx 0.9.8.1 or 0.9.9 is required (other versions are not supported, these are command line tools that are only used internally by OpenIMS).

Sphinx may need to be compiled from source. This requires the header files for php and mysql (usually in separate packages such as “php-devel”, “mysql-devel”), and standard linux tools for compiling (gcc, make).

Important:

• We highly recommend you choose the Linux distribution you are most apt/experienced in. Use what works for you, we have no preferred distribution.
• We recommend using the OpenIMS self-test to verify the installation.
• See performance (Dutch) for harware requirements and beveiliging (Dutch) for security related documentation.

The installation has been tested with recent versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Rocky and Debian. It is recommended to choose a (version of a) distribution with official support for the desired version of PHP, as this will make installation and maintenance easier.

MTA software

The OpenIMS server needs to be able to send email. This requires that MTA software (for example postfix, sendmail or exim) is installed and configured on the server. MTA software is required even if you want email to be send through your organization's SMTP server. Please read the documentation of your MTA to find out how to configure it so that mail is relayed through your organization's SMTP server.

Notes on specific Linux distributions

 

• RHEL / Rocky: SELinux should be disabled because it interferes with Apache's ability to use command line abilities and/or to modify files.
• Debian: Several PHP settings added by the Suhosin patch cause problems with OpenIMS. It is recommended to disable the patch by removing the extension=suhosin.so in the appropriate .ini file. 

 

Notes on Apache configuration

• OpenIMS must be installed in the DocumentRoot. OpenIMS will not work when installed in a subdirectory under the DocumentRoot. 
• See this page about file permissions and ownership.
• Please refer to the main Installation Manual for the required Apache and PHP settings.
• Newer Linux distributions split the configuration into several files.  Just "grep" to find out in which configuration file each directive should go.  With such split configurations, modules like php usually work automatically after installation, without any need for configuration.
• Virtual hosts are technically possible, as long as each OpenIMS-host has its own IP-address.  Batch jobs should rotate between servers, with only one batch job active at any time. Such a configuration is not recommended, as for OpenIMS a dedicated server is recommended.